People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 383, The Book of Changes (I Ching) - Appended Remarks

The moon rises above the treetops, behind Mount Taiyi.

Yan Lingji lay sprawled on the soft couch, her graceful body wrapped in a white and blue lace nightgown. Her exposed skin was white and smooth, her two long, beautiful legs crossed upwards, one hand supporting her head, the other yawning.

"This stinky man~ I have absolutely no resistance to him."

Yan Lingji's voice was languid, her icy blue eyes filled with speechlessness as she softly complained about Xu Qing.

Xu Qing left in the evening, and it's past midnight now, so she hasn't returned. She knows without a doubt that he's gone to see Hu Meiren. They've been apart for so long; if Xu Qing can resist going to Hu Meiren, then Yan Lingji will henceforth take his surname.

"Ugh, that jerk!"

Yan Lingji pouted slightly and rolled over on the bed. Her breasts, which had been pressed down, bounced up like two cute little kittens.

She didn't harbor much hostility towards Hu Meiren, not only because of the order of arrival, but also because after Xu Qing and Hu Meiren's affair was exposed, Hu Meiren took all the blame upon herself and wanted to protect Xu Qing with her life.

Even Yan Lingji admired Hu Meiren's love for Xu Qing.

The reason she was unhappy was that Xu Qing left without saying a word, leaving her to sleep alone tonight.
Although Xu Qing had been with her these past few days, and Yan Lingji knew there would be no danger in Taiyi Mountain, the days she spent in Baiyue and being imprisoned still made her wary of unfamiliar places.

Xu Qing's sudden departure only intensified this sense of vigilance.

Yan Lingji is now like a cat with its fur standing on end, wary of everything around her.

Yan Lingji picked up a pillow and used it to hit Xu Qing forcefully to vent her anger. Her pretty face showed a hint of resentment. Compared to her usual fiery passion and gentle charm, Yan Lingji was even more adorable, yet she still retained her mature and alluring charm.

Just as Yan Lingji was venting her anger, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Xu Qing walked into the room from outside.

Seeing Yan Lingji pounding on the pillow like a child on the soft couch, Xu Qing's eyes flashed with surprise, followed by a teasing smile.

"Is this pillow uncomfortable? That's why you're hitting it like that," Xu Qing teased as they walked.

A hint of embarrassment flashed in Yan Lingji's eyes, and a blush rose to her cheeks. But then her expression turned cold and angry as she threw the pillow in her hand at Xu Qing.

"Why did you come back? You stinky man!"

Yan Lingji knelt on the soft couch, her legs crossed and spread apart, her slender waist slightly slumped back, and her full, upturned buttocks pressed against her legs.

Xu Qing caught the pillow that was thrown at him, and awkwardly rubbed his nose. He knew that he couldn't hide his visit to Hu Meiren from Yan Lingji, and he hadn't intended to hide it anyway.

He wasn't the type to abandon someone after he'd done his thing; having taken advantage of Hu Meiren, he naturally had to take responsibility for her.

“I was afraid you would have trouble sleeping alone, and that you would be afraid to sleep at night after suddenly coming to Mount Taiyi, so I came to find you.”

Xu Qing took the pillow and walked to the soft couch, sitting down on the edge of the bed and speaking.

Before Xu Qing could even sit up properly, Yan Lingji kicked him, her delicate little foot sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Ouch~"

Xu Qing cried out in pain, rubbed his bottom, and stood up, looking at Yan Lingji with a hint of resentment.

Seeing Xu Qing's discomfiture, Yan Lingji felt a little better. She sniffed lightly and, finding no other smell on Xu Qing, her expression returned to normal.

"Hmph~ Who told you to come back so late? You didn't even say goodbye before you left~"

Yan Lingji snorted and said.

Seeing that Yan Lingji's fur had become soft again, Xu Qing patted his bottom and sat on the edge of the bed, taking out a bamboo scroll from his robes and saying...
"My senior brother Chisongzi met me at Xinzhai and introduced me to the other senior brothers. He also told me why I was asked to come to Taiyi Mountain ahead of schedule."

"What is this?" Yan Lingji asked, looking at the bamboo slip with a puzzled expression.

"Naturally, it's a gift for you. Xinzhai is the library of the Heavenly Sect, containing classics and martial arts techniques collected by the Taoist school since its founding. My senior brothers are planning to let me use the classics in Xinzhai to perfect my Yin-Yang Tai Chi Dao."

"And this bamboo slip contains a fire control method from the Heavenly Sect. Your fire control is innate, and the martial arts techniques you use are all things you figured out yourself. You can handle ordinary people, but you don't have enough power left, and it's not enough to make your strength advance further."

"So I found this technique, which contains not only martial arts principles, but also the experience of my predecessors and fire magic."

Xu Qing placed the bamboo slip in Yan Lingji's hand, holding her small hand and smiling gently as he spoke.

Since he had anticipated that Yan Lingji would find out that he was going to see Hu Meiren, he naturally had to prepare a gift to appease the little wildcat's emotions. This cultivation technique was something he had asked Chisongzi to find in Xinzhai.

Although it is not as top-tier as the Heavenly Sect's mental cultivation methods and martial arts as "Harmony with Light and Dust" or "Ten Thousand Rivers and Autumn Waters," it is still a high-end martial arts mental cultivation method in its own right, and its execution is in no way inferior to the techniques of the Yin-Yang Family's Fire Division.

"I'll tell you in advance when I go out in the future, so you won't be scared alone." Xu Qing hugged Yan Lingji and whispered gently in her ear.

Yan Lingji's eyes flickered slightly. She looked down at the bamboo scroll in her hand, and after realizing that Xu Qing still valued her, a smile returned to her face.

"You've passed this time. Just let me know in advance next time," Yan Lingji said softly.

"Alright, I need to focus all my energy on cultivation during this period. I've already spoken with my fifth senior brother, and his eldest disciple, Qing Weizi, will come to guide you. She is the senior sister of the second generation of disciples of the Heavenly Sect, and the only one who is proficient in fire-based magic."

Xu Qing spoke softly about his plans: during this time he would cultivate, and from time to time he would also visit Hu Meiren to discuss the Dao of Yin and Yang.

He was afraid he wouldn't be able to keep up if he didn't find something for Yan Lingji to do.

"Alright, it's getting late, let's go to sleep early," Yan Lingji nodded and said.

She didn't object to Xu Qing's arrangements; she was naturally willing to have someone guide her. Xu Qing's focus would be on cultivation from now on, and she couldn't be idle; she had to find something to do.

Rather than reading books in a boring way, she would rather practice martial arts, which she was more interested in.

"it is good."

After comforting Yan Lingji, Xu Qing took off his shoes, got into bed, and cuddled Yan Lingji to sleep.

The next day, after Xu Qing helped Yan Lingji and Qing Weizi get to know each other, he went to Xinzhai alone.

Upon entering the Heart Hall, Xu Qing discovered that several disciples of the Heavenly Sect were already perusing the classics. When the disciples saw Xu Qing arrive, they rose and bowed.

"Greetings, Uncle-Master Xu," the group said, bowing.

"No need for formalities. You can continue with your own business and leave me alone."

Xu Qing smiled calmly and waved to the group.

After nodding slightly, the group continued with their own business. Although they wanted to exchange a few words with Xu Qing and ask him how he had angrily rebuked Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, in the court, they had to give up the idea when they saw Xu Qing walk straight into the secret room as soon as he entered.

After entering the secluded chamber, Xu Qing took down a scroll from the top of the pile of bamboo slips and began to read it.

The Book of Changes, Appendix III.

Xu Qing looked at the name on the bamboo slip and then opened it to read it.

Xu Qing had heard of the "Appended Remarks" of the Book of Changes in his previous life; it was also known as the "Commentary on the Appended Remarks" or the "Appended Remarks of the Zhou Yi." It was a general treatise on the major principles of the Book of Changes, but the copy he held was not Confucius's summary and elaboration of the Zhou Yi in his previous life, but rather the original text of the Book of Changes.

It also contains the most content about Yin and Yang and Taiji in the Book of Changes, and can be said to be the culmination of the ancient Chinese sages' understanding and methodology of Yin and Yang and Taiji.

"Heaven is high and earth is low, thus the universe is established. High and low are arranged, thus the noble and the lowly are positioned. Movement and stillness have their constants, thus the strong and the weak are distinguished. Things are grouped according to their kind, and objects are divided according to their type, thus good fortune and misfortune arise. In the heavens, images are formed; on the earth, forms are created, thus change is revealed."

"Therefore, the alternation of yin and yang is called the Way; that which continues it is goodness; that which completes it is nature. The benevolent see it and call it benevolence; the wise see it and call it wisdom. The common people use it daily without knowing it; therefore, the Way of the superior man is rarely understood."

"Therefore, the Book of Changes has the Supreme Ultimate (Taiji), which generates the Two Forms (Yin and Yang), the Two Forms generate the Four Symbols (Si Xiang), the Four Symbols generate the Eight Trigrams (Bagua), the Eight Trigrams determine good and bad fortune, and good and bad fortune give rise to great undertakings."

Xu Qing looked at the bamboo slips in his hand, concentrating intently on studying the principles within.

As the candlelight flickered, Xu Qing's mind became completely absorbed in the bamboo slips. Originally, his understanding of Yin and Yang Tai Chi was not even basic, but through the "Appended Remarks" of the Book of Changes in his hands, Xu Qing gradually gained a systematic understanding of Yin and Yang Tai Chi.

While comprehending the great principles of heaven and earth contained in the Book of Changes, Xu Qing also continuously demonstrated the principles of harmony between heaven and man that He Guanzi had taught him, the theories of yin and yang and the five elements of medicine that he had learned in his previous and present lives, Liezi's theory of valuing emptiness, and his own understanding of Tai Chi.

As Xu Qing gradually compared and sorted out the diverse knowledge he had learned with the I Ching, he entered a state of enlightenment. His mind became exceptionally clear, as if he had detached himself from everything around him and was completely immersed in the great Dao written in the I Ching.

Meanwhile, the purple energy within Xu Qing's dantian began to circulate automatically, and the internal energy within his body unconsciously began to swirl around him, transforming into two yin-yang fish, one black and one white, which swam through the air like a stream.

A Tai Chi diagram unfolded beneath Xu Qing's feet. However, compared to the previous clear black and white Tai Chi diagram, this one was a chaotic mess of black and white, appearing as a void from afar.

Two yin-yang fish leaped into this chaos, and the chaotic black and white began to gradually separate as the yin-yang fish swam.
Just as Xu Qing was studying the Book of Changes, news of his angry rebuke of Marquis Changxin, Lao Ai, at Zhangtai Palace gradually spread, and the first to hear of it were the three kingdoms of Han, Zhao, and Wei.

Xinzheng, South Korea.

At the General's Mansion, Ji Wuye stared blankly at Mo Ya below, his rugged face filled with disbelief, his hand tightly gripping the wine cup.

The jade tiger beside him was also shocked, with a hint of fear in its eyes. It didn't even notice the gold coin in its hand falling to the ground.

(End of this chapter)